Published: Feb 10, 2011, 11:51 AM (IST)
Edited: Sep 12, 2014, 09:55 AM (IST)
By Dhananjay Devasper
The hype and hoopla has started. But in all of this, we seem to have overlooked a few key facts: The Two Group format and the current schedule for the World Cup has thrown in an eventuality. That the top 8 teams will progress into the quarter-finals, unless something drastic happens.
In the earlier editions, one loss meant a favorite getting knocked out. India’s early ouster meant over a billion people logging off the World Cup, the way spectators would make the stadium exit once Krishnamachari Srikkanth got out.
That begs a few questions: Does the World Cup run the risk of being boring till the quarter-finals? Sure we’ll all tune in when our respective countries are playing and, time permitting, when some of the other fancied teams are playing. According to the schedule, it might be a good six days between each match, before you get to see your favorite team in action.
Secondly, it puts onus on teams like Bangladesh and Canada to spice up the World Cup by beating one of the fancied teams. Bangladesh looks to be the likely team that can throw up a few surprises and upset the applecart of either a West Indies or England. If none of that happens, it then becomes a statistical exercise till the quarter-finals, with the fans hoping for a result that will suit their favourite teams. The other less-fancied teams don’t seem to have a chance against the might of the top teams.
In all, there are 30 matches out of 42 in the league stage where either the less-fancied teams will be playing against the top eight or amongst themselves. Unless these teams give a good account of themselves to stage a few upsets, the league stage reduces itself to only 12 matches of interest. And that too, only to determine which team you play in the quarter-finals.
So let’s hope for a few upsets by the minnows which will throw this competition truly open. After all, we are in the sub continent where it’s hot and spicy! So why shouldn’t we expect the same from the World Cup…. Stay tuned.
(Dhananjay Devasper is an “IT guy” by profession and a sports fanatic at heart. He has an unbridled passion for sports and Indian achievements in sport. Extremely opinionated, he attempts offering perspectives around sports which are simple to understand and easy to relate with)
